the force awakens

Kylo Ren’s Mask Was Specially Designed to Terrify a Whole New Generation of Star Wars Fans

STAR WARS: DAS ERWACHEN DER MACHT
Made for children. Photo: Lucasfilm

Just as Darth Vader made an unforgettable impression on young children, J.J. Abrams hopes to do the same with Kylo Ren for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Costume designer Michael Kaplan told Time that Abrams was so hands-on that he even wanted to know where a seam was going to go on a costume. So imagine how tough it became to make the mask for the character that seems like the biggest baddie, Kylo Ren. “We came up with so many different looks for Kylo. I mean it was crazy,†said Kaplan. “J.J. kept saying he’ll know when he sees it and one day we were having a discussion and he was talking about wanting it to be something that a child would remember, you know, that would be indelible in a child’s mind.†At last, one of his concept artists came up with the image, and J.J. loved it! “The silver in those lines kind of reflects and changes color with the action. You know, if he’s standing in front of fire you see that, so it almost brings you into the mask,†said Kaplan. The dark side is so very alluring.

Kylo Ren’s Star Wars Mask Made to Terrify Kids